Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Dl  rst  Old  York  Library 


NEW  YORK 

ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 
BOOK  OF  VIEWS 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 
ELWIN  R.  SANBORN 
Official  Photographer 

PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  NEW  YORK 
ZOOLOGICAL  SOCIETY 

NEW  YORK.  1912 

Copyright  1912,  New  York  Zoological  Society 


SERIES  NUMBER  THREE 


For  duplicates  of  this  book,  information  in  regard  to  Souvenir  Postal  Cards,  Guide  Books 
or  other  Zoological  Park  publications,  address:  H.R.Mitchell.  Manager  of  Privileges, 
Zoological  Park.  185th  Street  and  Southern  Boulevard.  New  \  ork  City 


l 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  NEW  YORK  ZOOLOGICAL  SOCIETY 


President 
HENRY    FAIRFIELD  OSBORN 


First   Vice  President 
SAMUEL  THORNE 

Secretary 

MADISON  GRANT,  11  Wall  Street 


.1      Second  Vice  President 
JOHN   L.  CADWALADER 

Treasurer 
PERCY   R.   PYNE,  30   Pine  Street 


Executive  Committee 
MADISON  GRANT,  Chairman 

PERCY   R.   PYNE  SAMUEL  THORNE  LEVI   P.  MORTON 

WILLIAM  WHITE  NILES  WM.   P1ERSON  HAMILTON 

HENRY  FAIRFIELD  OSBORN,  Ex-Officio 


1.1SPFNARD  STEWART 
FRANK   K.  STURGIS 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  ZOOLOGICAL  PARK 

WILLIAM   T.  HORNADAY 

Director  and  General  Curator 

H.  R.  MITCHELL,  Chief  Clerk  and  Disbursing  Officer  H.    W.   MERKEL,   Chief   Forester   and  Constructor 

PAYMOND  L.  DITMARS,  Curator  of  Reptiles  W.  REID  BLAIR,  D.  V.  S.,  Veterinarian 

C.  WILLIAM  BEEBE,  Curator  of  Birds  GEORGE  M.  BEERBOWER,  Civil  Engineer 

ELWIN    R.    SANBORN,  Photographer  and  Editor 


i 


New  York  Zoological  Park 

Under  the  Management  of  the  New  Y or\  Zoological  Society 

THE  rapid  decrease  of  wild  animal  life  throughout  the  world,  and  the  inability  of  the  millions  to  study  wild  animals 
in  their  native  haunts,  have  created  a  wide-spread  demand    for    zoological    gardens    and    parks.      In    the  United 
States  nearly  every  large  city  either  has  an  institution    for   the   exhibition   of    living   animals,    or    is   preparing  to 
establish  one. 

The  New  York  Zoological  Park  originated  in  1895  with  the  New  York  Zoological  Society,  a  scientific  corporation, 
having  for  its  objects  "a  public  Zoological  Park,  the  preservation  of  our  native  animals  and  the  promotion  of  zoology." 
The  Society  now  consists  of  1902  members  of  all  classes,  and  is  charged  with  the  management  of  the  Park. 

Unlike  most  of  the  Zoological  Gardens  of  Europe,  the  New  York  Zoological  Park  is  free  to  the  public  on  five  days 
of  each  week.  The  pay  days  are  Mondays  and  Thursdays,  except  that  on  all  legal  holidays  admission  is  free.  The 
grounds,  many  of  the  buildings,  and  an  annual  maintenance  fund  are  provided  by  the  city.  The  remainder  of  the  buildings 
and  the  animal  collections  are  furnished  by  the  Society. 

The  area  of  the  Park  is  nearly  300  acres — a  magnificent  domain  to  be  thus  dedicated  to  zoology  and  public  in- 
struction. It  contains  thirty-five  acres  of  water,  and  its  land  consists  of  heavy  forest,  open  forest,  and  meadow  glades,  in 
about  equal  proportions.  The  extreme  length  of  the  Park  is  330  feet  less  than  a  mile,  and  its  extreme  width  is  about  three- 
fifths  of  a  mile. 

The  principal  buildings  of  the  Park  are  the  Elephant  House,  Lion  House,  Primate  House,  Zebra  House,  Large  Bird 
House,  Reptile  House,  Antelope,  Ostrich  and  Small  Mammal  Houses,  and  the  Aquatic  Bird  House.  The  principal  open 
air  enclosures  are  the  Bear  Dens,  Flying  Cage,  Pheasant  Aviary,  and  the  Eagle  and  Vulture  Aviary,  Wolf  and  Fox  Dens, 
Burrowing  Rodent  Quarters,  Beaver  Pond,  Duck  Aviary,  Wild  Fowl  Pond,  and  Mountain  Sheep  Hill. 

The  most  valuable  and  important  collections  in  the  Park  are  the  lions,  tigers,  and  leopards,  the  tropical  hoofed 
animals  in  the  Antelope  House,  the  bears,  the  bison  herd  of  thirty-seven  animals  and  the  apes  and  monkeys.  The  collection 
of  Asiatic  deer  is  second  only  to  that  of  the  Berlin  Zoological  Garden.  The  most  interesting  animals  in  the  whole  collec- 
tion are  the  chimpanzees  and  orang-utans,  in  the  Primate  House,  and  the  Pygmy  Hippopotami.  The  collections  of  bears 
and  of  tropical  antelopes  are  certainly  equal  to  the  largest  and  finest  of  their  kinds  to  be  found  elsewhere,  and  the  collec- 
tion of  reptiles  is  also  unsurpassed. 

The  collection  of  living  birds  is  now  the  largest  in  the  world  in  actual  number  of  specimens,  and  third  in  number  of 
species. 

The  creation  of  a  really  great  zoological  garden  or  park  requires  a  great  many  people,  as  well  as  a  great  many  ani- 
mals, and  much  money.  The  annual  expenditures  for  animal; — all  of  which  is  furnished  by  the  Zoological  Society — are 
very  considerable,  and  a  large  membership  is  vitally  necessary  to  the  existence  of  this  institution.  The  Society  invites  to  its 
membership  all  persons  who  are  interested  in  the  objects  it  is  seeking  to  promote. 


i 


s 
s 


ANIMAL  STATISTICS  OF  THE  LARGEST  ZOOLOGICAL  GARDENS 

OF  THE  WORLD 

Reptiles  and 

Institutions                                                                               Mammals  |          Birds  Batrachians 

New  York  Zoological  Park                                         710  3022  1106 

Berlin                                                      .       946  2176  27 

London                                                          853  1775  487 

Philadelphia                                                           487  952  1087 

Hamburg                                                            473  1665  251 

Schoenbrunn                                                                 593  1351  171 

Cologne                                                       484  1539  96 

Breslau                                                                        592  1067  184 

Frankfort  '                                         644  1002  158 


Total 

4838 
3149 
3115 
2526 
2389 
2115 
21  19 
1843 
1804 


The  above  figures  are  for  the  year  1907,  with  the  exception  of  New  York  Zoological  Park 
which  is  for  1  9 1  1 ,  and  London  and  Cologne,  which  are  for  1909.  On  June  30,  1912,  the  total 
census  of  wild  animals  in  the  Zoological  Park  was  as  follows: 


M  ammals  

Birds  

Reptiles  and  Amphibians 

Total     .  . 


Species 

69 
880 
92 

1041 


894 
3022 
1660 

5576 


\ 


C  MS 


# 


